A Beginning and an End
by Raven Corvus
Summary: Just a short drabble about Beachcomber. I saw a drawing of sad Hound on the Lost Light creating a hologram of a flower and this came to mind. Sorry if there's any instances of OOC. I don't really know much about Beachcomber's mannerisms and whatnot :T This is also my first published fanfic...I swear I have better ones XD


Things were different now. The war was finally over, which was a relief for Beachcomber. He was never much of a fighter, but was willing to back his friends all the same. The relief that came with the ending of the long war seemed unreal. It was as if they were all dreaming and would wake up to the cold truth at any moment now. They had all fantasized about what things would be like after the war, always hoping it would end. Now that it finally had, he didn't know what to do. In fact, he doubted anyone had a clear idea on what their next goal was. With these thoughts cycling through his processor, Beachcomber continued to cruise along the back roads outside of New York City.

"You need to return to base, Beachcomber." He heard Hound say through his comm link.

"Why?"

Hound remained silent for a moment.

"Just come back here, alright?"

"Alright alright, whatever cools your engine." Beachcomber acquiesced. After performing a U-turn, he reluctantly began his drive back to base. Somehow he knew Hound was hiding something from him. Not only did his short silence speak volumes, but there was something he caught in the mech's vocalizer. Beachcomber assumed that it was a hint of sadness and regret that he caught; almost as if Hound was longing for something that he couldn't have. Beachcomber could almost guess why, and he hoped to Primus that his guess was wrong.

The blue mech arrived at the base and transformed back into his root mode. He searched for Hound's green chassis among the others and then walked over to where he was. From what Beachcomber could see, the rest of the team was preparing to leave Earth. Of course. Going back to Cybertron after the war was over was the most logical action for them. It _was _their home after all. Hound saw him coming and turned to face him, his faceplate holding a resigned look.

"Hey,"

"Hey there, I'm guessing we're leaving Earth?" Beachcomber assumed.

"Now that the war has finally ended, everyone is returning to Cybertron. We can finally go home after all these years." Hound replied flatly.

"Sounds like you're just reciting what you've been told." Beachcomber stated as he furrowed his optic ridges.

"What are you talking about?" Hound asked with false disbelief.

"You love Earth just as much as I do. Why leave? Is this really what you want? Just think about it for a minute."

"Cybertron is our home 'Comber. We don't belong here."

"That hasn't stopped us for the past several years or so." Beachcomber said pointedly as he crossed his arms. Hound sighed.

"Look, as much as I love Earth, I'm leaving with the rest of our team. You can either come with us or stay." Beachcomber cycled air through his vents roughly in the form of a sigh. He hadn't expected this from his friend. In fact, he was actually hoping he would stay along with him. He had always dreamed of touring the marvelous sights of Earth with a fellow nature-enthusiast. In fact, they already explored locally when they could. It was something that they both did when they had the time, and Beachcomber had forgotten to consider that an end would have to come to it all. Hound softened his expression after a moment.

"I'm sorry Beachcomber. I just- I feel like there's something more out there. Like some greater purpose than just sitting around... Once a mech has gone through war-"

"I know, I know. It's not like he can settle back down easily again. I've heard that before." They both remained silent for a while as they watched their teammates load their belongings into the ship that would take them home. It was a heavy silence; one unlike the many others that they had comfortably shared as friends. This one was full of languish. A silent grieving of the soon-to-be absence of a friend.

"Will I ever see you again?" Beachcomber asked.

"I hope so." Hound vented sadly.

"Don't go mad out there and don't get yourself killed, okay?"

"Only if you don't."

"Deal,"


End file.
